Worker killed by wind turbine blade in Victoria, Australia

Sydney, Nov 11 (IANS) A worker has died after being crushed by a fan blade from a wind turbine at a wind farm construction site in Australia's state of Victoria, local media reported on Monday.

Police in the state of Victoria said the man was working at a wind farm construction site near the small rural town of Rokewood, approximately 100 km west of Melbourne, the capital city of Victoria when he was crushed beneath a fan blade on Monday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

Emergency services were called to the site at about 8 a.m. local time and first responders tried to revive the man, but he was declared dead at the scene.

Speaking at a press conference in Melbourne, Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan offered her sympathies to the friends and family of the victim.

"Any accident in any workplace is indeed a deep concern and a tragedy," she said.

The construction site is part of the Golden Plains Wind Farm project. The two-part clean energy project is a state-significant project that will be Australia's largest wind farm to date, according to the project's website.

"The site has been closed and we are working closely with emergency services and the authorities," a spokesperson for the project said in a statement.

WorkSafe Victoria said it has launched an investigation into the incident.

--IANS

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